


In the Hereafter

by Rina_san28



Series: Overwatch Fluff Fest [4]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Ana Amari deserves to be happy, Dogs, Domestic Bliss, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Forgiveness, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Post-Recall, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 23:13:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17569754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rina_san28/pseuds/Rina_san28
Summary: It's been far too long since Ana's seen her husband. Luckily, Fareeha has a plan to fix that.





	In the Hereafter

**Author's Note:**

> This comes maybe three weeks after TL;TF, but, as always, you don't necessarily need to have read that to understand this one. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Ana hummed softly to herself, focusing on each tiny stitch of her panel. After the chaos of the previous mission – the very one that returned her and Jack from the dead – Winston had decided to put a hold on missions until after New Year’s unless there was an emergency. Unfortunately, that meant that Ana was left with nothing to do, resulting in a quick trip to the nearest craft store (and wasn’t that a luxury she’d missed in the seven long years she’d been on the run) to fix that problem. The cross-stitch pattern she’d chosen to start with was a fairly large rendition of a painting. Nothing too difficult, and the fabric was a low enough count that her missing eye didn’t cause any problems. It hadn’t taken long for her to sink back into the comforting repetition of the work. She was so comfortable in her armchair with her tea, a lovely view of the ocean, and some nice peace and quiet…

 

“Captain Amari,” Athena said, “Agent Pharah is at your door.”

 

She sighed. _It was fun while it lasted._ “Let her in, Athena,” she said aloud, “and for the millionth time, just call me Ana. I’m not a captain anymore.”

 

“Whatever you say, Captain.” The door slid open as Ana scoffed.

 

“Is Athena sassing you again, _‘Umi?_ ” Fareeha strolled in, a knowing grin on her face.

 

“I have a feeling that it isn’t really Athena causing problems,” Ana said.

 

Her daughter laughed – “Whatever you say, Mom,” – dropping down onto the small sofa. Torbjörn had whipped up a new set of prosthetics for her without much problem, although the elderly Swede had given her a lecture about making him lose mission bets. She swung her legs over and lounged back against the throw pillows, watching silently as Ana carefully counted her remaining stitches and cast off.

 

“As much as you love me, _habibti,_ ” Ana said, setting her work aside, “I don’t think you came here just to stare. What’s on your mind?”

 

Instead of answering right away, Fareeha cocked her head to the side and studied her, absentmindedly twisting her wedding ring. The mannerism was just so very _him_ that it snatched her breath away, and she made an aborted movement towards the now-empty spot where her own ring had rested. It was her reaction that seemed to decide something for the other woman.

 

“Angela and I usually go home for the holidays,” Fareeha said. “We’re leaving the day after tomorrow. Would you like to come with us?”

 

“Darling,” she said, “I can’t go back to Egypt now, my bounty is too high.”

 

“No, not Egypt, or Switzerland before you ask,” Fareeha corrected. “Canada.” She licked her lips, a rare sign of nerves. “With Dad.”

 

Ana’s vision blurred. “You-” Her voice threatened to crack, and she swallowed before trying again. “You still go?”

 

Fareeha smiled ever-so-gently. “I’ve never missed a year,” she said. “Angie and I had barely been together for three months that first holiday without you. I brought her home with me then. She and Dad chatted for ages, and at the end of the first night he pulled me aside and told me to marry her.” She sat back up and slid closer to Ana, threading their fingers together. “He never judged. He never questioned. He only loved. He only _loves._ ”

 

Ana didn’t miss the implication. “He should have moved on,” she said. “I abandoned him, left no word-”

 

“Mother, we’ve been over this, you didn’t exactly have much choice.”

 

“It’s been so long,” she whispered. “I’ve been gone for _seven years_ , Fareeha. What can survive for seven years?”

 

“Lots of things,” Fareeha said. “Uncle Jack. Lena’s fruitcake. Jesse, unfortunately.” She brushed away a tear that escaped from Ana’s eye. “And the two of you. Thirty-two years of marriage is significant. Something that long doesn’t disappear just like that.”

 

Ana bit her lip, considering. The same worries she’d had in the car to Swansea rolled through her head. Was it the right thing to do? Would she just hurt him more? After the seven years of pain she’d inflicted on him, all of the stress she’d caused, did she deserve to see him again? And, most of all, would he forgive her, and if he did, would she deserve it?

 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Fareeha scolded, and Ana realized she must have said her biggest concern out loud. “He loves you, _‘Umi_. More than anything. You know him better than anyone on the planet. Don’t do yourself the disservice of doubting him now.”

 

She knew when she’d been beaten.

 

“…I’m going to need more warm clothes,” she said, and Fareeha _beamed._

 

\-----

 

“Are you sure you’ll be alright, Jack?” Ana asked, pulling her friend in for a tight hug as Fareeha did the final checks on the transport – a sturdy little thing, Lena had assured them, with impeccable autopilot she’d programmed herself. “You know you can call if you need anything-”

 

“Ana,” Jack said calmly, if a touch amused, “I’ll be just fine. The rest of the kids and I are gonna have a bad Christmas movie marathon, maybe a video game tournament if Hana gets her way.”

 

“Relax, Ma, we’ll keep an eye on him,” Jesse added, giving her a peck on the cheek. “Right, Han?”

 

Hanzo met Ana’s gaze and offered up a small eyeroll. “He’s a grown man,” he said as he hugged her. “If anything, he’s going to help me keep _you_ in line.”

 

“Aww, darlin’, have a heart!” The two fell back into their normal bickering, continuing even as they both hugged Angela and Fareeha goodbye.

 

“One last time: are you sure?” Ana snorted.

 

Jack stared at the pair, then sighed. “I never thought I’d say this, but…maybe I’ll spend some more time with Genji.”

 

“Hey!” Genji said indignantly. “See if I invite you to dinner again.”

 

“Don’t be silly, my heart, of course you will,” Zenyatta said. The omnic floated over and took Ana’s hands in his own. “Be at peace, my friend. This is an opportunity for happiness. Let it heal you; it is no less than you deserve.”

 

She took a deep, cleansing breath, let it out, and pulled him in for a hug. “How do you always know what to say?”

 

“My husband is excellent practice,” he said, and she let out a soft laugh.

 

“I have to keep him occupied,” Genji joked. He had his faceplate off, allowing Ana to see the way his smile shone and his eyes crinkled in joy. “You be safe, _Okaa-san_. We’ll see you and _Otou-san_ when you come back, okay?” He must’ve read her hesitation in her face, because he pulled her in and squeezed her a little tighter than normal. “You have fun, and when you come back, there will be a wedding!”

 

“Mom!” Fareeha called. “It’s time to leave!”

 

“I’m coming,” she said, and, giving each of her boys one last pat on the cheek and request to _please behave, for Winston’s blood pressure,_ she turned away and walked up the ramp and into the transport – not truly ready, but…if she was a little more optimistic than before, who was to say?

 

\-----

 

Even with the souped-up transport and favorable weather conditions, the flight still took an exhausting fifteen hours. Ana spent the first two pacing before Angela threatened her with her own tranquilizers, at which point she meekly took a seat (at the back, of course, nowhere near the irritated doctor) and returned to her stitching. She didn’t remember falling asleep, but when she woke, sun shone through the windows, and Fareeha and Angela were laughing over the com channel with what sounded like the air traffic controllers – friends of Lena’s, of course.

 

“Good morning, Ana,” Angela greeted, hands wrapped tightly around a thermos as she offered a second to her mother-in-law. “How was your sleep?”

 

Ana narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “It was fine, though I don’t really remember being tired.”

 

“Really?” The doctor took a pointed sip of her coffee. “Interesting.”

 

“We’re landing in a moment,” Fareeha said, flashing a quick smile at her mother. “Go buckle in, please.”

 

The landing was smooth, not like they’d expected anything else from one of Lena’s babies. Easy ride or not, however, none of them had any qualms at leaving it in the capable hands of the staff in favor of the nearby rental car. Ana shivered, the cold air seeping into her joints like needles.

 

“The heat should kick in soon,” Angela promised, easily navigating them away from the airfield. “It isn’t a long drive home anyway. We’ll be there within the hour.” Silence reigned as they passed snow-covered fields, sparkling in the mid-morning light. Fareeha was absorbed in something on her phone, occasionally reading a post or headline to her wife, while Ana sat in the backseat, hands clasped tightly in her lap as she watched the trees fly past. In all her years on the run, Canada, the place she’d once regarded as her second home, had been avoided like the plague. There was so _much_ there, so many emotions tied to the land and the people that she found it hard to escape the embrace and sense of safety it offered.

 

“What is he like, these days?” Ana asked suddenly, twenty minutes in.

 

“ _Madha?”_ Fareeha twisted around in her seat to look back at her. “What do you mean?”

 

“Sam. What does he look like? Has he picked up any new hobbies?” She twisted her fingers into the soft cashmere of her sweater. “Is…is he well?”

 

Fareeha’s face cleared. “Ah. Dad’s fine,” she said reassuringly. “He did get bored with retirement fairly quickly, though-”

 

“Of course,” Ana snorted.

 

“-so he got a part-time job as a docent at the dinosaur museum on the edge of town. He’s a hit with the kids, apparently.”

 

“Sam’s always been a child magnet,” Ana said fondly. “That doesn’t surprise me in the least.”

 

“I sometimes thought my friends liked him more than they liked me!” Fareeha joked. “Anyways. He’s still got Gretchen, and two years ago he adopted a friend for her, a Great Pyrenees mix named Lady. She’s six and super sweet.”

 

“Gretchen’s still around?”

 

“She’s nine now, but she’s showing no signs of slowing down.”

 

“Do…do you think she’ll remember me?” Ana asked. “We’d barely had her for two years before I-”

 

“She’ll absolutely remember you,” Angela said reassuringly. “I spent two weeks with her and when I came back the next year, she greeted me like an old friend.”

 

“We don’t deserve dogs,” Fareeha declared. “Speaking of, Angie, have you thought about-”

 

Angela sighed. “ _Schatz_ , we need to make sure we have space for him first.”

 

“Am I getting a granddog?” Ana gasped.

 

“There’s the _cutest_ little bulldog at one of the shelters by the Gibraltar base,” Fareeha said. “His name is Domino and I love him.”

 

“I do, too, but, again, we need the space for him,” Angela said. “There are larger quarters on base. We just need to talk to Winston, and _if_ he’s okay with it, _then_ we can seriously consider getting Domino.”

 

“So that’s a yes?”

 

“It’s a ‘yes, if,’” Angela said, rolling her eyes as Fareeha punched the air in celebration. “We’ll talk more about it later.”

 

“That’s what I told Sam when he showed me pictures of Gretchen,” Ana said, amused. “You’d better prepare yourself for a dog, _habibti_.”

 

The Swiss woman’s grumble was belied by the smile and loving look shot at her partner. “I suppose you would know best,” she said. She straightened slightly as she flicked on her indicator, turning into a long driveway. “We’re here!”

 

“He still lives here?” Ana said in wonder as Angela parked, gazing at the sweet brick house nestled in amongst the trees. They’d bought it together shortly before Sam retired, him having been transferred to the nearby military base to ride out his last few years in the service.

 

“Dad’s at work until four,” Fareeha said, hopping out once the doors unlocked and going around to open the trunk. “We can go ahead, get settled in, and figure out how to reveal you.”

 

Ana raised an eyebrow at her. “Fareeha Amari.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Does he not know I’m coming?”

 

“Uh…no. No, he doesn’t,” Fareeha admitted. “But! It will be a great surprise!” She distributed their bags and led the way to the front door, unlocking it with one of the keys on her lanyard. “Brace yourself,” she said, and that was all the warning Ana received before the door opened and her daughter and daughter-in-law were tackled by a pair of excited dogs. “Hi, babies! Did you miss us?”

 

“You missed me more!” Angela cooed, kneeling down and letting them cover her face in kisses.

 

Ana covered her mouth with one hand as Gretchen noticed her, head cocked adorably to one side. “ _Marhabaan, euzizaa,_ ” she said, setting her duffle down and holding out her free hand for inspection. “Do you remember me?” The collie-shepherd gave her a cautious sniff, then a more enthusiastic one before letting out a bark and jumping up, placing her front paws on her missing mistress’s shoulders to lick her face, whining while her entire body wiggled in joy. Ana laughed wetly, wrapping her arms around the dog’s chest and whispering endearments into her thick fur.

 

“See, Mom?” Fareeha said. “I told you!” She gently ushered the group inside, watching fondly as Ana got down on the floor to both reacquaint herself with her beloved pet and introduce herself to Lady. The young couple took advantage of her distraction to put away their things and begin settling in, though not before subtly setting Angela’s phone up to record.

 

“Did you miss _‘Umi?_ ” Gretchen whimpered, shoving herself into Ana’s lap to demand affection. “I’m sorry I was gone so long, baby girl. I missed you, _nem faealt! Aishtaqat lak alkthyr min aleasl!”_ Lady seemed to decide she wanted in on the love fest, shoving her bulk against Ana’s back. “Oh, yes, hello to you, too! You are very pretty, aren’t you? Look at those big eyes. _Jamila!”_ She reached back and scratched the massive dog’s chest, which appeared to be the key to her undying love, as she proceeded to flop on her back with her tongue dangling out the side of her mouth. Ana laughed, long and loud. “Oh, I see why your _baba_ chose you. You are such a goof!”

 

“Lady is definitely a lovebug,” Angela agreed, grin widening when Ana beamed at her. “Are you having fun, _Mutti?”_

 

Ana scoffed. “Surely that’s a rhetorical question.” Gretchen, who had been sprawled on her back with her head in her human’s lap, took that as her cue to stand, put her front paws back on Ana’s shoulders, and push her to the floor. The woman cackled, obligingly scratching the dog’s ears as she laid fully on top of her. “What heartless creature wouldn’t have fun with these big babies? Just look at their faces!”

 

“I hate to break up your fun,” Angela said after a moment’s pause, “but I need to run to the store. Would you mind coming with me? If we divide and conquer, it’ll be done quicker.”

 

“Not at all,” Ana said, excusing herself from the literal dogpile to join her daughter-in-law. “Just let me freshen up a bit and I’ll be all yours.”

 

\-----

 

“Normally Fareeha would come,” Angela said as she grabbed a cart, “but Sam left a note in the bathroom asking if she wouldn’t mind fixing the tub drain, so she’s getting that done.”

 

Ana grinned at her conspiratorially. “At least this way we can control her sugar intake.”

 

“True!” The women chatted casually, strolling though the store as they picked things out. Ana eventually allowed herself to relax. She’d been gone a long time and physically changed a great deal. Besides, who would think to look for a long-dead sniper in the middle of Alberta?

 

“Should I get him a cake?” Ana asked, considering a display of decorate-your-own cookie cakes in the bakery. “As an apology? He’s always had a sweet tooth.”

 

Angela shrugged. “He’s your husband,” she said, “you know him best. I’m going to run to dairy, there was hardly any milk left in the fridge.”

 

“I’ll meet you by the tea and coffee, alright?” Ana said, rolling up her sleeves as she evaluated her options. “This shouldn’t take long.”

 

“Just don’t write anything incriminating on it, please,” Angela requested. “I don’t want to be the one to tell Winston that you were arrested for putting sensitive military information on a cookie cake.”

 

“Me? Never.”

 

Five minutes and some pilfered icing (Fareeha had come by the sweet tooth gene honestly) later, Ana joined Angela in the tea aisle, triumphantly cradling her creation in her arms. “Do they have any rose tea?” she asked, setting the cookie cake in the cart. “It’s my guilty pleasure.”

 

Angela looked down at the cake. “ _Mutter!”_ she gasped, laughing in mixed amusement and shock. “We’re going to have to use self-checkout now!”

 

“I think it’s fine!” Ana said as she browsed the selection of blends. She pulled down a small tin of vanilla tea, squinting at the blurb on the back. “There’s nothing violent or referencing potential war crimes.”

 

“‘I’m sorry I made you think I was dead for seven years’?”

 

“I fail to see what is wrong with it, _habibti._ I could have written much worse things. Besides, I drew some flowers around it, so that makes it nicer.”

 

The doctor sighed in defeat. “Fareeha is so much like you.”

 

“Consider this practice for when you have children.”

 

“Genji is practice enough,” Angela joked, and the pair giggled their way to the exit.

 

\-----

 

Fareeha folded over at the waist in laughter when she saw her mother’s creation. “Holy fuck,” she gasped out, wiping away tears. “It’s so beautiful.”

 

“Thank you!” Ana said primly. “I worked very hard on it.”

 

“Not to spoil the mood, but Sam should be back soon,” Angela pointed out. “What do we want to do?”

 

Ana chewed her lip. “I could wait in the kitchen,” she said. “Let him take off his coat and boots before you send him in, though. If it goes over as well as you think it will, I am not into snow-covered hugs.”

 

“Noted,” Angela said, amused. “Can you let the dogs in and towel them off? My wife can help me with the groceries well enough.”

 

“Alright. Where are the dog towels?”

 

“By the back door,” Fareeha answered. “There’s a small cabinet with dog stuff in it, the towels should be on the bottom shelf.”

 

Ana grabbed four, a good assumption to make when the dogs came in covered in snow. Lady was patient, thankfully, standing still as her legs and belly were thoroughly dried. Gretchen, on the other hand, bounced all around her mistress, energy seemingly inexhaustible despite her advancing age. “Sit still,” Ana ordered in exasperation. “If you behave, I’ll-” Whatever she was about to ply the collie-shepherd with was forgotten at the sound of the garage door opening.

 

“Dad’s home,” Fareeha said, gently taking the damp towels from Ana’s iron grip. “It’s going to be okay, Mom, I promise.”

 

“If you promise,” Ana said, though she did relax a fraction when Fareeha bent down and kissed her cheek. She took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. “Okay. I will be in the kitchen.”

 

“‘ _Ant tastatie faeal dhalik,_ ” Fareeha whispered encouragingly, and Ana slipped in the kitchen door just as the Sam’s greeting rang through the house.

 

“Where are my girls?” he said, and the dogs sprinted past Ana’s hiding spot to their unseen human. “Aw, hi! I love you two very much – yes, I do! – but I meant my human girls!”

 

“Hi Dad!” Fareeha said. “How was work?”

 

“It was fine!” A theatrical smooch was heard, and Ana suppressed a chuckle. “We had the last field trip for the term, a horde of excitable eight-year-olds. Cute, if a bit loud. Where’s that wife of yours?”

 

“I’m right here, Sam!”

 

“Hello! How goes the doctoring?”

 

Angela laughed, light and twinkling. “Decently. Did you know that Fareeha is now on her fifth pair of legs?”

 

“I can believe it.”

 

“Dad!” Their voices were getting closer, and Ana braced herself against the counter with nerves, just out of sight from the door. “Oh, before I forget, we have an early Christmas present for you. It’s in the kitchen.”

 

“It had better not be another dog,” Sam warned, although the affection was clear in his voice.

 

“It isn’t, I promise,” Fareeha said. “Go check it out, I think you’ll like it.”

 

“The last time you said that, I ended up with a cardboard cut-out of Bob Ross in lingerie.” Ana held her breath as Sam walked into the kitchen, his eyes scanning the room before landing on her. He stopped dead, mouth dropping open. “Oh my…” His sentence trailed off, and Ana offered a tenuous smile.

 

“ _Marbahaan, habi_ ,” she said softly. “It’s been a while.”

 

The effect was instantaneous. Her husband surged forward and swept her fully into his arms, clutching her close as if he expected her to vanish at any moment. She returned the embrace in kind, twisting her fingers into the soft flannel of his shirt. He smelled the same, she realized distantly, and she buried her face into the crook of his neck.

 

“Ana,” Sam whispered into her hair, “oh my god, Ana, you’re-”

 

“I’m here,” she sniffed. “I’m here, I’m not dead, I’m so sorry-”

 

“There is nothing to be sorry for!” he said with a laugh on the edge of hysterical. “You came home. That’s – _dammit!”_ He brought up a hand, presumably to wipe away a tear. “That’s more than I ever could’ve asked for.” Finally, he pulled away, but only enough to bend down and kiss her, messy and desperate and full of so many emotions that couldn’t be put into words. Just like that, she melted into him, her own tears flowing in earnest. The kiss broke, and she met his gaze with security and confidence.

 

“Let me look at you,” she said, lifting her hands to his face. There were more wrinkles there, especially around his deep brown eyes, twinkling in joy as they always did. She took in the features she had spent years memorizing – his sharp cheekbones, the line of his jaw – before sliding her hands back to nestle them in his long, smooth hair…only to find her hands meeting a stubby ponytail. “You cut your hair!”

 

He laughed, slightly embarrassed. “It, ah, got a little singed,” he said, “I’ll tell you about it later.” Ana stilled as he tugged the tie off the end of her long braid, running his fingers through the white strands. With the other hand, he cradled her face, his thumb tracing her tattoo for a moment before he lifted her chin up slightly, his eyes settling on her eyepatch. “What’s this?”

 

“The reason I was gone,” she said honestly. Her lips quirked up. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

 

“May I see?” he asked, thumbing the bottom of the fabric.

 

Her smile turned slightly forced. “It’s ugly, darling. Please don’t taint the image you have of me.”

 

“Ana,” he said, so tenderly it made her heart ache, “there is nothing, nothing at all, that could make you any _less_ in my eyes.” When he found the knot and pulled it free, she didn’t stop him, and he leaned in to kiss the mess the bullet had left behind. “So beautiful. So strong. My brave wife.”

 

Overcome, Ana grabbed him by his collar and kissed him again. “I love you,” she murmured against his mouth.

 

“I love you, too.” They stood there, wrapped up in each other, for what felt like forever until they were interrupted by a whining dog. “Aw, Gretchie-Ellen!” Sam cooed. “Did you miss your mommy, too?”

 

“I’ve already showered her with affection today!” Ana said, giggling. “She’s just greedy. Aren’t you? You too, Lady!” she added as the big white dog thumped her tail against the cabinets. “Where did you find her? She’s lovely.”

 

“She literally followed me home,” he said. “I was helping the Walters build a pole garage and she was hanging around at the tree line. It took me three days to coax her over to me with lunchmeat and kissy noises.”

 

“Well, you made a good choice. Oh!” she exclaimed. “I got you this.” He followed her over to the plastic container on the countertop.

 

“Ooo, neat, a cookie – holy shit!” He cackled when he saw what she’d written, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Can you decorate every cake ever, please?”

 

“Of course!” she said. “My next one can be from Jack: ‘sorry I faked my death and stole all your computers’. It’ll be a hit.”

 

“He’s alive, too?” Sam asked. “You, I’ll kiss. Him I’m going to punch.”

 

“He’d thank you, honestly. There’s more, but we can talk about that later.” She looked to the doorway to find Fareeha standing there with an arm around Angela, who was pretending like she wasn’t filming. For once, Ana couldn’t find it in her to complain. “Send me that video, _habibti?”_

 

“Of course.” Angela tapped at something and slipped her phone into her pocket. “Well!” she said, clapping her hands. “I think we should go out for an early dinner. Who’s with me?”

 

“You have cemented your place as my favorite daughter-in-law,” Sam joked, ignoring her fond _I’m your only daughter-in-law_ as he led the group out of the kitchen and back towards their shoes. “C’mon, there’s a really good steakhouse that just opened downtown and I’ve got a coupon.”

 

Ana met Fareeha’s eyes and smiled, reaching out to squeeze her daughter’s hand in her own. _You were right, child. Thank you for this._

 

Fareeha squeezed back. _You’re welcome._

 

\-----

 

Later that night, when all was quiet and Ana was curled into her husband’s warmth, her own wedding ring properly in place ("Gabriel gave it to me before your funeral," Sam had said, pulling it from the chain around his neck, "he remembered that you never wore it in the field.'), both of them half-watching a mindless old crime documentary on his laptop, she started slightly when their phones buzzed simultaneously.

 

“Go ahead and check it,” Sam murmured drowsily, nuzzling into her neck. “It’s probably Angela.”

 

It was Angela. Specifically, it was an alert that Angela had tagged them both in a post. Ana opened it to find two videos and a boatload of pictures, captioned _“My mother-in-law has been MIA (presumed KIA) for nearly 8 years. Earlier this month she was found, and today she was reunited with my father-in-law. This is why we do what we do <3”_

 

“She is such a sap,” Ana said, saving the pictures to her camera roll.

 

“Mmm.”

 

“I’ll get her later.”

 

“Of course, dear.”

 

She smiled at him, scratching her fingernails against his scalp. “I think we should turn this movie off now.”

 

He perked up immediately. “And do what?”

 

“Sleep,” she said, and she smirked slightly when he raised an eyebrow at her, “unless you had other ideas.”

 

He grinned, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her jaw. “I could name a few,” he said, and snapped the laptop shut.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Translations:**  
>  Arabic:  
> 'umi - mom  
> habibti - an endearment for a girl  
> madha - what  
> marbahaan - hello  
> euzizaa - dear  
> nem faealt - yes I did  
> Aishtaqat lak alkthyr min aleasl - I missed you so much, honey  
> jamila - beautiful  
> baba - daddy  
> 'ant tastatie faeal dhalik - you can do this  
> habi - my love  
> German:  
> schatz - sweetheart  
> mutti - mom/mama  
> mutter - mother  
> Japanese:  
> okaa-san - mom  
> otou-san - dad 
> 
> **Writing Notes:**  
>  1) I cross stitch, and the project I'm going to start after my current one is Starry Night. Cross stitching requires patience, a steady hand, and an eye for detail, all of which Ana has in spades - I figured she'd like to use those skills for something other than death, sometimes.  
> 2) Fareeha mimicked her dad on purpose to see what Ana's reaction would be. That isn't to say she doesn't do that normally; she just picked out a specific mannerism that they shared for that purpose. Sneaky bugger.  
> 3) Ana seems unusually emotional in this fic, but she's very vulnerable right now. She's just been reunited with a ton of people and has so much to catch up on. Suddenly seeing all the people she's missed so desperately would make those she hasn't accounted for that much more painful to think of.  
> 4) Jack took one look at Hana and mentally added her to his ever-growing brood of children. She certainly isn't complaining.  
> 5) Ana and Zen are absolutely tea-and-chill buddies and you cannot convince me otherwise. Even if he can't drink the tea, he likes to hold it to feel the warmth.  
> 6) Did Angela drug Ana's tea? Absolutely.  
> 7) Ana and Sam's dogs are 100% based off of the dogs my grandparents had while I was growing up. They never met - Lady didn't come along until a year or two after Gretchen passed - but I like to think they would've gotten along. Fun fact: Gretchen knew how to play soccer and understood the concept of goals.  
> 8) Domino is a real dog up for adoption! You can find his info here: https://www.adoptapet.com/pet/24139299-louisville-ohio-shar-pei-mix UPDATE: Domino has been adopted!  
> 9) Ana (kind of like me) identifies as a cat person, but will still go absolutely nuts over a dog. Sam's puppy eyes probably help.  
> 10) Sam still has that cut-out of Bob Ross. It's in the guest bathroom shower, which Fareeha won't notice until she goes in the next morning and gets the fright of her life.  
> 11) I was going to have them go to Steak 'n Shake, but they apparently don't have those in Canada? That's so sad, Athena, play Despacito.  
> 12) Where did Angela post that? Idk, prolly Overwatch Facebook or something.  
> 13) After the holidays are over, Sam and the dogs come back to Gibraltar with our favorite ladies for Lena and Emily's wedding. 
> 
> I'm rina-san28 on Tumblr and rinasan28 on Battle.net, so hit me up :) I always love hearing from you!


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